Britney Spears’ “Work Bitch”: Review Revue

Princess of Pop Britney Spears is no stranger to massive dance anthems (“Toxic,”“3,”“Till The World Ends,” etc.), so when her latest single “Work Bitch” premiered yesterday (September 15) everyone anticipated another club banger. But did it live up to the hype? In our review we said, “While sassy and surefooted, ‘Work Bitch’ sounds like the lights-out after-party to RuPaul’s enduring ebullient runway anthem.”

Other media critics thought the single was a stand-out, but most brushed it off as yet another play-by-the-rules dance song from the pop diva. Only time will tell if “Work Bitch” will make a distinct mark on the charts, if pop music’s sound is in fact ending its love affair with EDM (Sorry, David Guetta). In the meantime, check out a round-up of reviews below.

:: Billboardsaid, “As expected, the song — written by will.i.am and Sebastian Ingrosso protégé DJ Otto Jettman, among others — is a full-on club banger with Spears giving fans the secret to her success.”

:: Slant Magazineheld nothing back with their sharp review: “‘Work Bitch’ follows the current EDM model of painfully aggressive, treble-heavy beats, harsh synths, and tuneless hooks, but makes even ‘Scream & Shout’ sound like a melodic feast…Spears’s repeated instructions to ‘work, work, work’ (to reach, if the cover art is any indication, the desired Nomi Malone levels of success) feel mechanical and forced. But that’s no surprise coming from a pop icon whose longevity is largely due to her unwavering dedication to churning out maddeningly mindless and infectious tripe like ‘Work Bitch’.”

:: MuuMuse could not stop raving about the track, saying “It’s the stuff of a nasty sidewalk strut or a ferocious vogue-off in the club — and with the Spearit by your side, you’ll never lose. Perhaps the greatest lyric of all the lyrics? ‘I am the bad bitch — the bitch that ya lovin’ on!’ Bye, everyone else.”

:: Pop Justice compared it to Britney’s previous efforts: “It recalls the attitude of ‘Blackout’, but in a song crafted for a post-EDM pop landscape. This record wouldn’t sound like it does if EDM hadn’t happened, but at the same time it’s a Britney track first and foremost. The most exciting bit is the middle eight which goes all epic and spacey with some proper hands-in-the-lasers lyrics.”

:: The Guardiankept it politically correct: “It’s a pretty relentless onslaught that reflects pop’s current love for chucking in everything up to and including the kitchen sink, but there’s enough of Britney’s personality – the myriad vocal tics, the ridiculous middle-eight breakdown bit – to make sure she hasn’t been fully obliterated by will.i.am‘s production sledgehammer.”

:: Lastly, HitFix notes, “It may well be the most dance-oriented single in the history of her career, with a driving progressive beat and a distinct lack of pop hooks that make it a perfect club track but perhaps not such a great fit for Top 40 radio.”